Senate Democrats Mixed on President’s Proposal
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iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Senate Democrats are huddling behind closed doors with White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough to talk about President Obama’s fix for people’s health insurance cancellations, but ahead of the meeting, Senate Democrats expressed mixed emotions about the president’s proposal.
Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, committee, said the president’s solution is not the right answer and worries that it will leave more people uninsured over the next year.
“If I had been the president, I would not have done that I think that as our investigation has shown that more and more of these cancelled policies were junk policies and I don’t think people realize they were paying good money for not even being covered,” Harkin said. “But the president felt he had to do this, so he did it. We’ll just keep working on it.”
“It means for another year there will be a lot of people in our country that will not be covered,” he added.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who is co-sponsoring a bill with Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., to allow people to keep their healthcare plans indefinitely, said the president’s announcement is “moving in the right direction.”
“We’ve got to build this credibility back, and we’ve got to get people a chance that have had a policy to keep their policy,” Manchin said. “It’s a positive move in the right direction.”
Manchin would not say if he thinks there should still be a vote on Landrieu’s plan.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who is co-sponsoring a keep your plan bill with Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said she thinks a two year transition period is necessary, but she’s open to looking at the president’s plan.
“I want to see if what the president proposed makes sense. We think we need a two year transition period, so that’s what we’re looking.”
But one of the big questions on Capitol Hill is whether this issue will still need a legislative fix rather than the administrative proposal presented by the president Thursday. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., argued that an administrative fix is the only feasible solution because House Republicans won’t support any “constructive” measure regarding Obamacare.
“The only way we’re actually going to get things fixed it seems to me as long as the house is intent on undoing Obamacare one way or another is by the administration doing things on its own so I think what the president did is exactly the right thing,” Schumer said.
Aides to several senators tell ABC News they still are likely to push for a vote on their own proposals, eager to show their constituents that they are trying to slow — and fix — Obamacare. In a statement after the president’s speech, Landrieu signaled that she will continue pursuing a legislative answer.
“I will be working today and throughout the weeks ahead to support legislation to fix this problem,” Landrieu said.
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